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Channing Channing
Major Channing Channing of the Chesterfield Channings is the Gamma of the Woolsey (later, London) werewolf pack. He holds the rank of Major in the British Army, and is Commander of the Coldstream Guards. He also has an interest in numbers, and serves as bursar to the pack. Appearance Channing is blond, with ice-blue eyes and 'too many' teeth. His accent is described as being exceedingly posh and old-fashioned. Little is said of his build, other than that he is 'English-big', and well-aware of both his size and his handsome appearance. His wolf form is large, beautiful, and white; also with icy blue eyes. He is said to be polished at the change, despite the agony endured. Personality Channing can best be described as a cad, or perhaps a rakehell would be more appropriate, given his origin (he was metamorphosed between 1803-1815, during the Napoleonic wars). He is a consummate aristocrat, though the narrative makes point several times that this does not mean he is anything like a gentleman (though he does display characteristics of such in Heartless, by shadowing Alexia and protecting her at risk of his own life). There are signs he takes a rather stern, perhaps even hard, tack with his troops; though there does not seem to be noticeable animosity between him and his men, he does nearly backhand Alexia when first meeting her (thinking, at the time, that she is a servant). This incident occurs when he is freshly home, and it could be argued that he was not yet out of "soldier mode" (anecdotal evidence among modern soldiers indicates that it is difficult for the human mind to cope with the immense shift in paradigm between civilian and military life; many modern soldiers use coping mechanisms such as only smoking while being a civilian, to associate a physical trigger with a need to shift mindsets). However, this does not explain his misogyny and racism, both of which are typical of the period, no more and no less. Channing's violence against Alexia when he first comes home could also be an indication of his attraction to her, possibly also that he likes to dominate women sexually. His sexual attraction to Alexia seems to be despite himself and shows up in Heartless and Timeless ''when he is forced to be Alexia's escort. History Before being turned, Channing was a sculptor of some repute. Being one of the artistic types vampires prefer, they attempted to recruit him. Channing instead joined the military and was turned into a werewolf during the Napoleonic wars. Channing is reported to have engaged in multiple duels during his time in military service, as well as various werewolf challenges. His clearly likes to fight. In the books Quotes * “The gentleman in question was both tall and broad, although not quite to her husband's scale. Lord Maccon was Scottish-big; this gentleman was only English-big—there was a distinct difference. Also unlike the earl, who periodically bumped into things as though his form were larger than his perception of it, this man seemed entirely comfortable with his size. He wore full officer formals and knew he looked good in them. His boots were spit-shined, his blond hair coiffed high, and he boasted an accent that very carefully was no accent at all. Alexia knew the type: education, money, and blue blood.” (Changeless, Chapter One) * "Channing Channing of the Chesterfield Channings smiled his perfect smile and twinkled his blue eyes in a way Alexia was certain he believed to be alluring." (Changeless, Chapter One) * "Are you philandering with me, sir?' She was imprudently startled into asking. 'Would you like me to be?' he replied, grin widening. Well, that certainly settled that. ''This was no gentleman." (Changeless, Chapter One) * "Everyone in the courtyard stopped what they were about and turned to look at the statuesque lady currently engaged in whacking their third in command, Woolsey Pack Gamma, commander of the Coldsteam Guards abroad, with a parasol." (Changeless, Chapter One) * "Major Channing was all muscle, longer and leaner than her husband but, honesty compelled her to admit, not at all unsightly." (Changeless, Chapter One) * "The blond man looked nervous. His face lost most of its arrogance. Alexia thought he was considerably more attractive that way." (Changeless, Chapter One) * "Major Channing might be a pain in the proverbial posterior as a pack mate, but he was an excellent officer with a reputation as a fire-eater, and he had the respect of both soldiers and fellow officers." (Blameless, Chapter Seven) * "Channing came dashing up. The werewolf was looking a tad worse for wear. His beautiful white fur was streaked with blood, many of his wounds still bleeding, for they were slower to heal when administered by a silver blade. Luckily, none of the injuries appeared to be fatal." (Blameless, Chapter Fifteen) * “'Really, Channing,' remonstrated Alexia, 'did you have to eat the man’s dog? I am convinced you will experience terrible indigestion.'” (Blameless, Chapter Fifteen) * "Monsieur Trouve took of his frock coat. It was far too wide for the werewolf, but he handed it over for modesty's sake. with a nod of thanks, Channing put it on. It covered the necessaries, but was far too short and, coupled with his long, loose hair, made him look disturbingly like an oversized French schoolgirl." (Blameless, Chapter Fifteen) * “'Ah, no, deployment was delayed after you left. Technical difficulties.' 'Oh?' 'Yes, it was technically difficult to leave a heartbroken Alpha.'” (Blameless, Chapter Fifteen) * "As far as Alexia was concerned, Major Channing was uncomfortably good-looking - a strapping blond with icy-blue eyes, marked cheekbones, and imperiously arched brows. He was a true soldier to the bone, which might not have been so bad a thing had not his nobility of profession been augmented by an arrogance of manner and toothiness of accent so extreme only the bluest of the blue-blooded individuals out to foist such upon others." (Heartless, Chapter Seven) * “The Gamma paused. 'You have a crazed werewolf in your wine cellar?' 'You can think of a better place to stash him?' 'What about the wine?'" (Heartless, Chapter Ten) * “Oh, Major, you do so love to annoy, don't you?" "It is the stuff of living, my lady.” (Timeless, Chapter Three) * “He was awfully good at being aristocratic. Alexia, on the other hand, was only good at being autocratic. Not quite the same thing.” (Timeless, Chapter Three) Trivia * Major Channing is a very skilled swordsman. Links * Major Channing character study, at Gail's blog. Category:Characters Category:Parasol Protectorate characters Category:Werewolf Category:Woolsey Pack Category:Gamma